


Working on Empty

by Chinchilla_7



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, First Case Fic, First Meetings, Gavin's swears a bit and yells at Nines a lot, M/M, Oh and RK900 is names Richard in this, Post-Canon, Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), There's also a few random minor characters I needed to add in, that's really all this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 19:16:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18267707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chinchilla_7/pseuds/Chinchilla_7
Summary: “Okay, well, I certainly don’t like you getting all psycho-analytical over my ass,” Gavin said, pulling into the crime scene. Perfect, he could escape this awkward hell-hole and avoid any more of this type of conversation.Once Gavin was satisfied with his parking spot, he turned the car off and quickly tried to leave the vehicle, hoping to dodge any more questions or statements Richard had to say about him. It almost worked too, until Richard grabbed his arm before he could escape the car.“I don’t mean to come across as though I am prying about your life. I apologize if it seems like that. All I wish is to learn more about you. I want to know you, detective.”--Gavin is known for working alone, so what happens when he's paired up with a tin can? Only time will tell if he'll be able to work along side this android, or if it'll just become one of his many ex-partners.





	Working on Empty

Gavin was used to rejection. He’s dealt with it all his life. First, with his brother, leaving him in the fucking dust to chase after all that fame and fortune, forgetting all about his younger brother. Then it was university, where everyone said he was sure to be at the top, only for anything he applied for to turn him down, saying that there was always next year. And don’t even get him started on relationships: that’s a whole road that doesn’t need to be driven on. So, at the DPD, he wasn’t surprised he lost the Lieutenant position to the depressed alcoholic. If anything, he was surprised he had even made it to the role of a detective. It was the only thing he could really hold onto.

He sat at his desk, empty coffee cup in hand and files spread out on his desk. He was still working his ass off despite the lack of pay-off. It felt like wasn’t gonna get promoted anytime soon, if at all, but he still put in all this extra effort. The streak of disappointment would have to end eventually, right? He hoped so, but he had his doubts.

Fowler came up to his desk, which would have been a sliver of hope, if it hadn’t been for the plastic prick beside him. “Reed,” he stated, wanting to get his attention.

Gavin looked up and raised an eyebrow at the two. “What? You get yourself a tin can buddy?” he asked, a small smirk on his face. He noted how similar it looked to Connor. That was unnerving, to say the least.

Fowler shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, this is your new ‘buddy’. Meet Richard, you’re new RK900 partner.”

Gavin’s smirk fell, switching to a frown almost immediately. “What? No. You can’t be fucking serious. Me? With one of those things? No fucking way.”

“I am very serious. And you don’t get a say in my decision.”

Gavin huffed, glaring at both the android and Fowler. “I’m _not_ fucking working with one of these things,” he stated rather loudly. He didn’t care that he was making a bit of a scene in the bullpen, he was holding his ground on this one.

Fowler shook his head. “That’s funny, actually, because it seems that you will be now. And you will work _with_ him. Don’t break him or the repair costs will be coming directly off _your_ paycheck,” he stated.

Gavin gritted his teeth. “No.”

Fowler couldn’t stop the roll of his eyes. “Yes,” he stated. “Besides, it’s a great way for you to prove that you’re worthy of that promotion.”

Was Fowler seriously fucking holding that promotion over Gavin’s head right now? What a low blow, even for Gavin’s standards. Gavin crossed his arms, turning away from the two. “There’s better ways to prove that…” _not that it seems to matter_. He left the last part out, but it’s what he felt.

“Maybe, but this is your current option. I suggest taking it,” Fowler said. “I’m not asking you to be friends, I’m asking you to get along well enough to solve your cases.”

Gavin only grumbled in response, having clearly given up. There was no point arguing with Fowler anymore. Clearly his boss wanted to make his life a living hell.

“Good.” Fowler stated, turning to walk back to his office. “I assume you two to have a case to work on.”

Gavin didn’t respond, letting Fowler walk away. He still refused to look at the android, trying to focus on anything else. Maybe if he ignored it, it’ll fuck off. Of course, that’s not what happened.

“I’d like to let you know detective, that I am happy to work with you,” it said. Great, it had an installed kiss-ass function.

Gavin huffed, turning to RK900- what was it’s fucking name? Richard? Whatever. “Listen, Dick, sit down and shut up. Do whatever you fucking have to do, just stay out of my way and keep quiet,” he stated.

Dick seemed to obey easily. Weird, he thought all androids were deviant or whatever now. Guess not this one, which honestly wasn’t a bad thing. Gavin watched as Dick sat down at the desk beside him before he turned to his computer, Fowler’s words running through him.

“Yeah, fucking promotion my ass…” he mumbled to himself. He hadn’t meant to say it outloud, and Dick must have heard him since it looked up at him for a moment. Though, it stayed to its demand and kept its mouth shut. It’s just that Gavin expected that even working ‘well’ with this android, he wasn’t going to move from his current standing at the bullpen. He’d be stuck as a detective, no matter what he did. This gave him all the justification he needed to _not_ treat Dick well.

Gavin looked over at Dick, examining the android’s… well, everything. It looked like Connor, and when it spoke, sounded a whole lot like Connor too. Sure, it’s got blue eyes and it’s voice is just a little deeper, but it was basically a copy of the other prick.

His curiosity was getting the better of him. “So, Dick,” he started, facing the android, “what makes you so special? With the whole… RK _900_ shit? What’s so different about you and the 800 one?” he asked.

Dick looked up from his computer. “I am an upgraded version of my predecessor RK800. I was designed to be faster, stronger, and smarter than the older model. In every sense of the word, I am better.”

Well, didn’t this prick have quite the ego. “What? So you’re just a fancy version of the other tin can?” he clarified, gesturing to Connor, who was standing with Hank across the room.

Dick looked over to the area indicated before nodding. “If that phrasing helps you understand it better, yes. I am a fancier version of Connor.”

Gavin huffed and rolled his eyes, his arms crossing as he sat back against his chair. “Right, so one of you wasn’t enough. You needed to upgrade or whatever the fuck,” he muttered.

Richard had furrowed his brow as he looked back to Gavin. “Is there a problem with that?”

“I’d say so. Because now I’m fucking stuck with you!” Gavin stated, a glare on his face. “Like, sure, the officer androids. They’re fine. They’re great. They do their shit. But you and the other plastic prick? Unnecessary. We were doing our jobs just fine without the help of the Mr. Android Detectives.”

“I sense some resentment with being paired with me.” That was Dick’s only response. How fucking great. It didn’t even bother to actually listen to what Gavin had to say.

Gavin stared at Dick for a long moment, face showing disbelief. “Well aren’t you the fucking tip top of all androids,” he mocked. “Could really use someone like you to figure out that there was fucking resentment in my words.”

Before Dick could get another word in, Gavin stood up. He really didn’t want to deal with this tin can right now. “I’m getting a coffee,” he mumbled, finding any excuse he could to get away from this.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t going exactly as planned. Dick stood up after Gavin had taken a few steps away. “I’ll join you,” it stated.

Gavin turned on his heels to face the android. “Oh no. You’re not gonna join me. You don’t need to accompany me while I go get some fucking coffee for myself. You’re just gonna be a good little android and sit your ass in that chair and shut up.”

Neither of them moved for what felt like a long moment, Dick’s LED was even spinning yellow. It felt like it was some standoff, even though it was over something so unimportant. Well, it was important to Gavin that he be the one in charge in this duo.

Finally, Dick was the first to move, seating himself back at his new desk. He head lowered as he sat silently.

A few emotions flowed through Gavin in that movement. The first was relief. He knew that Connor was a deviant, so he wasn’t sure if Richard was in the same boat. It seemed as though that Richard had not made it that far. The next emotion he felt was triumph. Gavin totally stuck it to his android partner, showing it who was boss.

A smile formed on Gavin’s face as he turned and made his way to the break room. Although, the smile could have been considered more of a satisfied smirk, but who was really paying attention.  
Gavin stepped into the break room, his shoulders suddenly relaxing. He hadn’t even realized that they had been tense to begin with. Apparently that android was getting more on his nerves than he had thought.

He headed straight for the coffee machine,pouring himself a cup for himself. He had lost count of how many times he had been in this exact situation. Was it a problem? Gavin didn’t think so. Of course, that’s because Gavin liked coffee too much to ever give it up.

Once the cup was filled, he added a few packets of sugar and taking a stirring straw. As he stirred the coffee in his hand, he headed back to his desk. Well, he couldn’t take too long for his coffee or the Dick might come looking or some shit.

Gavin didn’t even bother to acknowledge the android across from him as he sat down. He wouldn’t even look at the thing, as if the ‘if I don’t see it, it isn’t there’ mentality worked in real life. His eyes remained glued to his computer as he reviewed his current case, his eyes scanning over the words on the page.

“A women in her mid-30’s was found dumped in a dumpster in a back alley,” Dick’s voice suddenly brought Gavin out of his focus. He finally looked over to the android, although there was a slight glare in his gaze as the thing spoke.”Cause of death: stab wound to the-”

“I can read, thanks,” Gavin cut it off before it could finish its statement. He didn’t care how the annoyance in his voice shone through. “I don’t need you reading it out to me as if I can’t see it myself.”  
Gavin watched as Richard seemed to clench his jaw for a moment. Had he pissed it off? Gavin honestly couldn’t tell given that he didn’t even know if it was deviant or not.

The android seemed to unclench its jaw, opening its mouth and speaking. “I was simply trying to help. My apologies,” it said, although Gavin didn’t really believe that it was actually sorry. Oh well, it wasn’t like he was going to challenge it in any way.

“Yeah, okay, right. Like I need help to read,” Gavin muttered, taking a sip of his coffee. It tasted more bitter than normal. Seems like the pot had been left a little too long. Oh well, it still gave Gavin a reason to avoid talking to the android across from him.

After scanning over the file and noting what he deemed important, Gavin stood up from his chair. “All right, tin can, let’s see how useful you really are. Let’s go,” he said, not bothering to wait for the other.

Richard looked up at Gavin, tilting his head. “Let’s go where?” he asked, though standing up to follow Gavin anyway.

Gavin found himself blinking, a little baffled at the question. “Where- where the fuck do you think? The fucking crime scene!” he said, glancing back to shoot Dick a look. “Where fucking else?”

Richard gave a small shrug. “I’m not sure. Perhaps you wanted to go get a donut with that coffee of yours.”

Was that sass? Gavin couldn’t tell with how monotone Dick had said that. He shook his head. “Fucking androids…” he mumbled as he made his way out of the precinct. The more Dick spoke, the less Gavin knew what to think of it. Like, sure, it was annoying, but at least it wasn’t a kiss-ass like Anderson’s.

The two didn’t say anything more to each other as they reached Gavin’s car and sat inside. Gavin turned on his car and drove off, turning on the radio loudly in hopes that Dick got the hint not to say anything during the ride.

Unfortunately, somehow Richard missed the hint.

“What is your opposition to a promotion?” Dick asked, looking over at Gavin in the driver’s seat.

Gavin considered ignoring the question, but it was difficult to do so when you don’t really have a place to hide in a car ride. He let out a huff. “I have nothing against promotions. Why the fuck would I be against promotions? They’re good things.”

“Earlier you said the phrase ‘fucking promotion my ass’. Forgive me for misunderstanding, but it sounds as though you have no interest in any type of promotion.”

It sounded weird for an android to swear. At least, for Richard to swear, since so far he had been so professional about everything. “Well, looks like your android detectiveness is wrong this time. Because you misunderstood. I want a promotion, and I’ve been working my ass off to get it. I’ve almost gotten it too, multiple times, so I think I fucking deserve it. But, of course Fowler had to throw this shit in my face as a way to ‘get it’.”

A soft hum from Richard could be heard over the music. Gavin was almost tempted to turn the radio down. Almost.

“Now it sounds as if, despite how much you think you deserve it, you don’t think you’ll actually earn it,” Dick said. Well, what a way for the android to strike a nerve.

“I am going to get it. And nothing’s going to get in my fucking way this time. Not you. Not Connor. Not fucking anything. Fowler has been toying it over my head for the past months, it’s happening,” Gavin insisted. His grip had gotten tighter on the steering wheel. When did that happen? Gavin hadn’t noticed.

Richard, however, seemed to have noticed before Gavin, its eyes on Gavin’s hands. “Having a relaxed posture is ideal for driving,” he suddenly advised.

Another huff left the detective’s lips. “Yeah? Well, you haven’t been driving for twenty years, have you?” he shot back, almost challenging the android.

“No, I suppose I haven’t,” Richard admitted. “However, I have been programmed with the skill-set equivalent to someone who has driven for over twenty years, which is something rather beneficial. I also have the skill-set equivalent to someone who can have a non-hostile conversation, perhaps you’d like some tips for that?”

Well, apparently this android knew how to shoot back. It’d be a lie to say that Gavin wasn’t just a _little_ impressed by that. Still, he found it annoying more than anything. “I do not need any tips for that shit. I can have a ‘non-hostile conversation’ with people! I just have to fucking like you first.”

“And what’s it take for you to like someone?”

Gavin wasn’t entirely sure if that question was genuine or just another jest. He could never really tell with this android, not with how neutral the fucker said everything. He glanced over to the android, his eyes almost immediately going back to the road in front of him. He wasn’t entirely sure of how to answer, or if he should even answer. So, he resorted to what he knew best.  
“What? Your detective android skill-set whatever can’t figure that out? And here I thought you were the best of the best.”

There was silence from the seat beside Gavin, and he didn’t know if that was a victory or if he had extremely fucked up. His knuckles turned white as he held onto the steering wheel and waited for a response.

Soon, Richard broke the tense air between them. Well, it was really the tense air that Gavin thought he felt.

“You’re… different, is the word I’ll use. You put up too many walls for me to properly analyze you to see how I am to function around you,” Dick explained. “I have no idea what you like versus what you pretend to like.”

“Okay, well, I certainly don’t like you getting all psycho-analytical over my ass,” Gavin said, pulling into the crime scene. Perfect, he could escape this awkward hell-hole and avoid any more of this type of conversation.

Once Gavin was satisfied with his parking spot, he turned the car off and quickly tried to leave the vehicle, hoping to dodge any more questions or statements Richard had to say about him. It almost worked too, until Richard grabbed his arm before he could escape the car.

“I don’t mean to come across as though I am prying about your life. I apologize if it seems like that. All I wish is to learn more about you. I want to know you, detective.”

Okay, that sounded creepy, Gavin had to admit. The whole point of the statement was to not be creepy, but Richard had pretty much failed that. In fact, it had done the complete opposite.

Gavin pulled his arm out of Richard’s grasp. “Yeah, okay, well, find a better way to do that. Because right now? You seem like a weirdo stalker fucker,” he said with a huff, turning to quickly make his way out of the car. Once out of the car, he adjusted his jacket, feeling a little weird now. He really didn’t like the way Richard had said that, and now it was in his mind as he made his way towards the scene.

Gavin headed straight for the officer, Chris Miller, already at the scene. He was trying to block out Richard’s words by going tunnel vision. Although, it did nothing but backfire.

“What would you like me to do, detective?” Richard’s voice suddenly appear on Gavin’s left, causing the man to jump, his hands turning into fists for a moment before registering who it was and relaxing once again.

“Jesus fuck, don’t sneak up on me like that,” Gavin answered, as if it had been Richard’s fault for this. “And just… I don’t know. Do whatever Connor does and look around and shit,” he added with a shrug.

That answer seemed to be satisfying for Richard because it gave a nod and walked off. Well, at least Gavin had some time to himself again. He continued his way to the Chris, listening to what was already found.

As hard as he tried, Gavin couldn’t exactly focus on the updates the officer was giving him, his mind floating back to Dick’s words. ‘ _I want to know you, detective_.’ What a creepy ass way to say that. There were so many better ways that Richard could’ve phrased that, but those were the words it had used. What did Richard even mean? Know him how? Like, there’s so many ways Richard could’ve meant that, and a lot of them, Gavin didn’t want to think about-

“Gavin? Are you even listening?” Chris asked, waving a hand in front of Gavin’s face.

Gavin blinked, bringing himself back into reality. He silently cursed himself for allowing his thoughts to wander off, he was better than this. But he also silently cursed Richard for saying those fucking words to begin with.

“No, yeah, I’m listening,” he said with a nod, looking over to the dumpster. “Women, found in dumpster, time of death was about, uh… ten hours ago. High likelihood of a struggle,” he said, although most of this information he had gotten from the case file he had scanned over earlier.

Chris let out a quiet ‘hmph’ before his attention was drawn to Richard, looking into the dumpster. He nodded to the android. “You got a new partner, I see.”

Gavin huffed, crossing his arms. “Yeah, Fowler dumped me with it today. It’s done nothing but nag.”

Chris looked to Gavin. “Reed, you know you’re technically supposed to refer to androids as, like, he/him or she/her or whatever pronoun they prefer, right?” he asked. “It’s a kind of law now given that they’re considered on the same level as humans.”

“Yeah, whatever, they aren’t really humans. And it hasn’t complained to me yet so I don’t see a reason to stop now.”

“Ever consider the reason he hasn’t said anything is because he doesn’t want to challenge you?” Chris asked.

Gavin was quick to shake his head. “Oh, it’s had no problem challenging me so far. I think if it really had an issue with me calling it an ‘it’, it would’ve said something.”

Chris only sighed and shrugged in response. “All right, whatever you say. But I still think you should at least… check and make sure he’s actually okay with that.”

Gavin couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “Yeah, right. Thanks for the tips, but I’ve been managing just fine as is,” he said, not meaning to sound as harsh as he did, but this new android business had him on edge. “Anyway, I should probably check in on it,” he said, walking away from Chris and towards Richard.

Richard was still examining the dumpster as Gavin approached, although he had been listening in on their conversation. “Why are you so insistent to use dehumanizing pronouns for me?” he asked, not even allowing Gavin to request an update.

Gavin opened his mouth to answer, before promptly closing it. Fuck, it was one thing to talk to Chris about this, it was another to talk to the one he was calling ‘it’. “Well, because you aren’t human… not really, and you haven’t said anything about it earlier so I just figured it was fine,” he explained with a shrug.

Richard straightened up, turning to face Gavin. “Androids are now considered alive, and are equivalent to humans. I’d appreciate if I got the same type of respect you give other humans. And just because I’ve never verbally expressed my distaste for your choice of pronouns for me, doesn’t mean I don’t find them distasteful. I figured you would’ve been respectable enough to use he/him pronouns for me, but apparently I overestimated you.”

Gavin was a little speechless, which was a rare state for the detective to be in. He opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn’t think of a defense or a witty comment to quip back. Fuck, Richard had been a little too on the nose.

Richard must have realized that fact. A satisfied smirk made its way on the android’s face. “What’s the matter detective? Already run out of insults to throw at me?”

Gavin closed his mouth, unable to stop himself from clenching his jaw. He looked away, a displeased noise escaping him. “Whatever, just… tell me what you’ve found,” he requested.

There was a pause, as if Richard was considering if he should share the information he had found or not. Gavin really didn’t feel like fighting back at the moment, which Richard seemed to pick up on. “Her name was Cynthia Sommers. No immediate family. She worked in a local cafe that opened up after the revolution to prove an android-inclusive space. I couldn’t find any fingerprints, suggesting that the culprit is most likely an android,” he stated.

Gavin gave a little not. “Right, okay, so that’s not really helpful since you guys don’t really leave traces of anything,” he said with a huff.

“Not exactly. Her body shows signs of struggle with the bruises to her hands and some plastic traces I detected under her fingernails, which also points to an android. Anyway, there is a high likelihood that the android could have been injured during the fight that had ensued.”

Gavin let out a hum, looking into the dumpster himself. “Okay, well, that’s not exactly helpful if the fighting occurred elsewhere. She was dumped here, which means they have had time to fix themselves or whatever,” he pointed.

Richard nodded. “That is true. However, given her cause of death, the stab wound through the chest, the attack appears personal. The culprit even bothered to dump her body in a gentle manner. Well, a gentler kind of manner,” he added.

“All right, so we ask around, see the kind of androids she hung around with. Which, would be easier if she didn’t work at a place specifically made for androids,” Gavin couldn’t help but sigh as he stared into the dumpster. “It could be any android, really. One that was a regular at the shop. One that had only been there once but had become obsessed with her. An android co-worker. Literally any android.”

Gavin couldn’t hide his frustration from this. He always hated open-ended cases. They always proved to be such a challenge, and not like he minded a challenge, this was just a tedious challenge. The first thing he wanted to do was to narrow down the possible suspect list, because right now it was any android that existed within Detroit.

Richard seemed to have the same process. “May I suggest heading to the cafe she worked out and question her co-workers? Perhaps we can learn some things that will aid in narrowing our search.”

Gavin gave a little nod at the android. “Yeah, good idea. We can head there now,” he said, turning away and heading back to the car. “You can take it from here, right Chris?” he called, and earned a nod in confirmation from Chris.

Gavin made his way back to the car, getting into the driver’s seat and waiting for Richard to join him. Once the android was sitting beside him, he started the car, jumping at the radio blasting music. Shit, he had forgotten to turn that down as he rushed out of the car.

“You seem to be rather skittish, detective,” Richard commented, looking over at Gavin.

Gavin scoffed. “I’m just off my game, is all,” he muttered. “Not exactly used to an android partner so sorry for the adjustment,” he added, his apology sounding anything but sincere.

Though, Richard seemed to accept it regardless. “I understand, detective. Sometimes a human needs time to properly adjust to a big change,” he said, giving Gavin a small smile. 

“Yeah… that…” Gavin mumbled quietly, pulling away from the parking spot and driving off. “Where even is this cafe we’re supposed to be going to?”

Richard raised an eyebrow. “You mean you don’t know?”

Gavin gave a shrug. “I figured you have a GPS thingie in your brain that you could just tell me where it is,” he answered. “…You do have something like that… right?” he then asked after a moment, glancing over at Richard.

Richard left out a huff. “Yes, I do, but I figured you would’ve looked it up yourself.”

“I usually would’ve if I didn’t have a walking map sitting beside me. What’s the point of having that if you’re never gonna use it?”

Richard let out a sigh, and Gavin could see the android roll his eyes. His LED spun yellow for a few moments as he searched the address of this cafe. Finally, he spoke again. “The Friendly Bean, 873 2nd Avenue,” he said, looking to Gavin.

Gavin couldn’t help but softly chuckle at the name. “How cute,” he mumbled, taking a right at the next intersection to get themselves driving the right way. “All right. Once there, you question the workers, I’ll see if I can find a manager or owner. Sound good?”

Richard nodded. “Yes. Sounds good,” he repeated.

“All right, good,” Gavin said. He then focused on the music playing, glad the android didn’t attempt any more kind of conversation. The silence between the two was needed, in Gavin’s opinion. It gave him a chance to breathe. Richard was a bit of a handful to deal with, which, in a way, Gavin found respectable.

Gavin soon pulled into the cafe’s parking lot. He let out a hum as he stared up at the sign. “Well, while we’re here, I could see if their coffee’s any good,” he commented, thinking out loud more than anything else.

Richard looked over at Gavin, an eyebrow raised. “Shouldn’t we be focusing on the case and not the quality of the coffee here?” he asked.

Gavin merely waved him off. “Having some coffee is gonna do fuck all. Besides, the caffeine helps me,” he said, getting out of the car.

Richard followed suite. “Oh, right, I have forgotten that coffee seems to flow through your veins,” he commented.

Gavin shot Richard a glare, only to be met with a small smirk in response. “You haven’t even known me for a day. How the fuck can you make that assumption?”

“Sometimes my ‘android detectiveness’ isn’t all that off,” Richard answered, heading to the door. “Besides, this will be the third coffee I’ve seen in your hands since meeting you and it’s only been a few hours.”

Gavin huffed, following Richard inside. “Maybe that’s because I’m stressed from the new partner I’ve been assigned. Coffee helps calm me down.”

Richard glanced back at Gavin, disbelief evident in his eyes. “That is the exact opposite of what caffeine is meant to do, detective,” he said, and Gavin didn’t really have an argument for that, but it didn’t stop him.

“Well, maybe for the average person, but not me. Caffeine soothes me,” Gavin explained, walking up to the counter to order a large coffee with two sugars.

Richard stood beside Gavin, his head slightly tilted. “If that is the truth, detective, may I suggest a doctor because i do not think that that is a good thing,” he said. “It may even be considered an addiction if that is the case.”

Gavin huffed, paying for his drink and standing off to the side to wait. “I do not have an addiction. It’s just an appreciation, that’s all. I don’t think you’d understand.”

Gavin noticed Richard roll his eyes again. That seemed to be a habit that the android picked up rather quickly. “I appreciate things. Such as being treated decently. I don’t think you’d understand how to do that, though.”

Gavin huffed, wanting to comment on that but decided to leave it in exchange for grabbing his coffee from the barista. He gave a small nod in thanks before turning to Richard. “All right, Dick. I’ll ask for the manager and you can go nuts on the baristas,” he said before turning and heading off to the counter once again, this time showing his badge and requesting the manager.

Gavin was brought to the back room, leaving Richard to do his thing up in the front of the cafe. Gavin’s only hope was that Richard knew how to question witnesses. He didn’t see why the android wouldn’t, but if their conversations reflected anything, Gavin had his doubts.

Gavin took a sip of the coffee, a pleased hum leaving him. Not bad. This place may have just gained a new customer. His attention was quickly drawn to a man walking towards him. Gavin gave him a smile and reached out his hand when he noticed the other doing the same to initiate a handshake.

“Hello, detective, I’m Henry, the manager,” the man, Henry, greeted, giving a small smile. “What can I help you with today?” he asked.

“Hello, Henry. I’m here to talk to you about one of your baristas, Cynthia. I’m sorry to say that she was found this morning in a dumpster in an alleyway. We have reason to believe that she was murdered,” Gavin said softly, his demeanour suddenly changing to something gentle.

Henry opened his mouth to respond, only for no words to come out. Gavin gave him time to process this information, knowing that it was quite a bit to take in, even for an employer standpoint. Finally, Henry found his voice. “I… wow, fuck. I don’t know what to say.”

Gavin nodded. “I understand. This kind of information is a lot to take in suddenly, and I’m very sorry to do this, but I’d like to ask a few questions so we can have a better idea of who she was and who could possibly do something like this.”

Henry took a deep breath, nodding a little to himself. “Okay… Okay, yeah. Yeah, what do you need to know?” he asked, looking to Gavin.

“How was she with the customers, her colleagues and you?” Gavin asked.

“Well, she was the sweetest. She had been one of the first to be hired here, having been a big android supporter. She was nice to any and all customers but wasn’t afraid to stand up for any unfairness that occasionally occurs here. She got along with her colleagues and myself, she wouldn’t have been working here had she have not. We like to keep a welcoming atmosphere here, which goes for both the customers and the staff. Most everyone that came in here had nothing but good things to say about Cynthia, and those who had negative comments are the ones who are still against the idea of androids being considered human,” he explained.

Gavin hummed and nodded. “Okay. Have you noticed any customers that stand out more than others, especially in association with Cynthia?” he asked.

Henry furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Like, regulars that may come in that happen to have a preference for Cynthia over other baristas, but in a weird way. Or maybe a one off customer recently that seemed off or Cynthia mentioned to you?”

Henry hummed, thinking for a moment before shaking his head. “No. I don’t really pay attention to the customer’s relation to the staff unless it’s been brought to my attention. And Cynthia never mentioned anything to me. You should ask the other baristas for that kind of stuff.”

Gavin gave a little nodded, pulling out a small card. “Okay, thank you for talking with me. If you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to call,” he said, handing the card to Henry.

Henry took the card and nodded, staring down at the text. “Yeah, yeah, of course,” he mumbled, still nodding.

“Take it easy the next few days, okay? It’s a lot to process, I know.”

Henry looked to Gavin and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll try. I’m sorry I wasn’t much help.”

Gavin shook his head. “No, you were helpful, more than you think. Thank you again and I’m sorry, really.” He said softly before giving Henry one last nod and heading back to the front of the cafe, spotting Richard instantly. It was hard to miss the tall android. Jesus, why did CyberLife have to make him so fucking tall?

He approached his android partner, taking a drink from his coffee. “So, what’d you learn from the baristas? Anything useful?” he asked, looking up to Richard.

“Cynthia was charismatic. She had a habit with flirting with customers as a way to gain some extra tips. It got to the point where certain customers would try to follow up on the flirts, only for all of them to be rejected,” Richard answered. “What about you, detective? Have you learned anything useful?”

Gavin raised an eyebrow at the android before shaking his head slightly. “Unfortunately Henry didn’t know much when it came to customers, but it sounded like everyone on staff got along so they’re ruled out, at least,” Gavin answered, already halfway done his coffee now that he was actually focused on drinking it. It was pretty damn good.

Richard nodded. “Yes, I gathered that information while talking with the other baristas as well. So chances are, it was a customer.”

“Probably one that didn’t take her rejection so kindly,” Gavin pitched, looking around the sitting area. “You ask the baristas about seeing any customers not taking Cynthia’s rejection lightly over the past few days?”

Richard shook his head. “That was not part of my questioning, no,” he answered honestly.

Gavin huffed. “What the fuck do you mean it wasn’t part of your questioning?” he asked, although already began walking to a barista before Richard had a chance to answer. “Excuse me. I know you already were questioned by the android behind me, but I just wanted to clarify something, if that’s all right…” his eyes glanced down to the woman’s name tag, quickly looking back up at her face, “Erica?”

Erica nodded. “Yes, of course. Anything that can help.”

“Thank you,” Gavin said with a small smile. “I was just wondering about customers coming onto Cynthia and if any of them, specifically in the last few days, didn’t really appreciate her rejection. Does anything stick out?” he asked.

Erica thought for a moment, her brows knitted as she recalled the last few days. “There was one…” she said, looking back to Gavin. “He was nervous around humans, but not Cynthia. He was kinda… drawn to her. And it wasn’t really obvious, but after she turned him down, he wouldn’t stop staring at her and watching her. It wasn’t sinister. At least, it didn’t seem that way, but his staring was intense and he looked kinda angry. It was hard to tell from the distance, but he didn’t really… he gave me weird vibes, I guess.”

Gavin nodded, glancing back to Richard and gesturing with his head to signal the android to come closer. “Okay, do you mind if we get a description of the man? And was he a regular? Or a new comer?”

Erica gave another nod. “Yes, of course. He wasn’t a regular, but he has been here a few times. He wasn’t around long enough to learn how Cynthia worked,” she said. “As for what he looked like… looked about in his 30’s… he had short, brown hair. But a lighter brown, like a dirty blond almost. And he was just a little taller than you. Green eyes and a weird limp to his walk. I’m pretty sure he was an android because, if I remember right, he paid without a card and just with his hand. Uh… I don’t really know about his face, but I can tell you that he was wearing a green hoodie with a little, white logo on the front. I didn’t recognize it, but I think it’s from one of those new organizations that showed up after the revolution.”

Gavin nodded, really hoping Richard was recording all this information. He could remember most of it, but it was also a lot of information to take in all at once. He gave another smile. “Thank you so much, that’s so helpful. If you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to call,” he said before turning and heading for the door.

Erica could only nod in response and Richard quietly followed Gavin out.

“See? That’s why you need to ask those things. I don’t know why you didn’t,” Gavin said over his shoulder, a little surprised that such an advanced android couldn’t even do a basic interview.

Richard just got in the passenger’s seat of the car, not even bothering to give a physical reaction. “I am sorry, detective, I have made sure to make note of it for the next interview I do,” he stated, staring out the front window.

Gavin raised an eyebrow over at Richard. “Uh, all right. I guess that’s a good thing,” he said, pulling away from the cafe and heading back to the precinct. “All right, anyway, possible suspect: android that’s probably in some kind of android organization thing… how many android organization thingies are in Detroit?” he asked.

Richard’s LED spun yellow as he researched, taking a moment to process the information. “There are on hundred and ninety-two android-friendly organizations scattered throughout Detroit,” he answered.

“Jesus…” Gavin muttered. “Okay, how about the ones whose main colour is green?”

Another pause and a spinning yellow LED. “Seventy-five,” he said after a moment.

Okay, that was a little better. “Now ones with a white logo?”

“Thirty-four”

Well, that narrowed it down somewhat, but it was still rather broad. Gavin let out a hum. “She said he seemed nervous around humans… any of those organizations android-only?” he asked.

Richard took a little more time gathering this information, his brow was even furrowed as he searched. Finally, Gavin got an answer he was looking for. “Only seven are android-only.”

Gavin nodded. “All right, that’s not that bad,” he said, glancing over to Richard. “Can you think of anything else that could narrow it down even more?” he asked.

Richard thought for a moment. “Perhaps I could check hoodie designs for the organizations?” he offered.

“Oh fuck, you can do that?” Gavin asked, sounding a little impressed.

Richard nodded. “Yes, it’s not difficult to do.”

And the impressed tone immediately vanished. “Oh, of course, Mr. Fancy Metal Man,” Gavin said with a little huff.

Then something happened that Gavin didn’t expect: Richard chuckled.

Gavin’s head snapped over the android beside him, unable to stop the surprised look on his face. “I’m sorry, did I just hear that right? Did you just _laugh_?” he asked.

Richard somehow managed to let his face fall back to the emotionless expression that he had prior. “I’d appreciate it if you kept your eyes on the road,” he stated, avoiding to answer.

“Yeah? And I’d appreciate it if you answered my question,” Gavin shot back, although listened to Richard and turned his head back to look at the road. Of course, that was more for himself; he didn’t need to put his life at risk over something as simple as a laugh.

“And, just for your information, yes, I did laugh. I have that function,” Richard said after a few moments of silence.

“Okay, well, I didn’t know you had that function. Didn’t even know you could think things are funny given how deadpan you are,” Gavin said with a shrug.

Richard looked over at Gavin. “Maybe if you said something funny instead of irritating, you would see that I’m not all that deadpan.”

Gavin’s mouth fell open, an offended noise leaving his mouth. “Okay, first of all, how fucking dare you,” he said, turning his head to glare at the android. “Second, I am plenty funny, you just don’t have my sense of humour. That’s the problem.”

“Oh, of course, I’m the problem,” Richard said. There goes another eye roll. Damn, that android must have it embedded in his code or something.

Gavin huffed, pulling into the precinct. “That’s not what I meant…” he mumbled, getting out of the car, “Now, have you found a match of hoodies or what?” he asked, trying to deflect the topic of conversation.

Richard didn’t answer as he exited the car, which made Gavin a little nervous, not that he’d admit it. Luckily, the android conformed. “Yes. I’ve found a match for the hoodie description,” he said with a nod. “It’s an android support group on Fountain Way. The building is an old church that has been renovated to suit the need of the group,” he explained.

“An android support group,” Gavin repeated. “For, like, androids that went through shit from their past owners and stuff?” he asked.

Richard nodded. “That seems to be the main cause. Abusive owners can cause trauma and I suppose that this is something that helps.”

Gavin hummed. “Well, we can either go to the group whenever it runs, or try to find a list of attendees. Although, I highly doubt that that kind of organization keeps records of its members,” he said, heading inside and to his desk. “What do you think?

Richard followed, sitting down at the desk that was now technically his. “We’ll have to go there when it’s running. I’ve already tried to find any information of the androids who attend only to find no formal record,” he said.

Gavin nodded. “Okay, when’s their next meeting?” he asked, leaning back in his chair and stretching. God, his car needed some comfortable seating.

“Their next meeting is tonight, actually,” Richard said.

Gavin sat up, raising an eyebrow. “Oh shit, really?” he asked. “So we might get the suspect all in one day, huh? That was pretty damn quick.”

Gavin wanted most of that credit to go to himself, but he knew that a lot of it involved Richard. He wouldn’t have been able to sift through all those organizations that quickly, which played a large part in these immediate results. Maybe Richard wasn’t that bad to work with. After you get over the snark, that is.

“All right, let’s hope that this android is there tonight so we can bring him in for questioning. Think we’ll get a confession out of him?” Gavin asked, suddenly feeling the want for a conversation. The efficiency of this case has somehow put him in a better mood.

Richard raised an eyebrow. “That’s implying that this android is the perpetrator,” he said.

“Well, yeah, that’s the point. He’s our lead. Motive makes sense. The factors makes sense too. Shy, nervous around humans and suddenly this one lady is super nice and flirty. He gets attached, probably unhealthily because of past trauma, and when his fantasy is broken, he doesn’t know what to do and I guess has this… probably a mentality of ‘if I can’t have her, no one can’,” Gavin said, as if Richard should have also had the same thought process.

Richard hummed. “I understand your logic, detective, but we do not have definitive proof that this man is the perpetrator. Only until we get concrete evidence, or a proper confession from him, then all you’re going on is a hunch and assumptions.”

“Sometimes that’s what moves you forward in a case, Richard,” Gavin stated, his voice raising slightly. “Do you even know anything about hunches? Can you feel a hunch? Or is that outside your programming?”

Gavin watched as Richard’s jaw clenched and unclenched. It was a terrifying sight, really. An android sitting across from him who probably had the power to do anything, seemingly pissed at Gavin. There were a few moments of unpredictability, and they were the longest moments for Gavin.

Eventually, Richard found his words, but they were unnervingly steady for how he looked prior to speaking. “No, I do not have ‘hunches’. Everything I think and do are based in fact. Hunches are not based in fact, and therefore, even if I did feel them, I would pay no mind to them,” he explained.

Gavin felt that he could breathe again, shifting in his seat. “Right, okay. Well, I’ve gone on many different hunches before, and more often than not, they’ve lead me to the right place. Sure, there’s places of error, but for the most part my hunches aren’t. This is gonna be the guy and we’re gonna get him tonight."

“The ‘success rate’ of your hunches does not change the fact that I will not follow them during any point of any investigation,” Richard stated.

“Listen, robocop, you’re partnered with me? You’re gonna listen to my hunches whether you like it or not. Sometimes it’ll be the only thing we can go off, so you’re gonna have to learn to deal with it, and even maybe accept it, if you can handle that.”

Richard let out a huff. “I am perfectly capable to ‘handle that’, thank you. I just don’t want to since it is an unreliable, inaccurate, and unreasonable source to get any information.”

It was Gavin’s turn to roll his eyes, standing up from his desk. “Whatever. We’re gonna go to that meeting thing later, get the guy, get him to confess. And then you’ll see that my hunch was right,” he stated, fixing his jacket. “Now I’m going out for a smoke.”

Gavin turned and began walking off before Richard really had a chance to respond. However, Gavin did hear him call after him. “Smoking is bad for your health!”

Gavin flipped him off in response, still walking away.

He disappeared behind a corner, stepping outside. He let out a sigh, glad to get a few minutes away from Richard. It was a breath of relief to get some alone time, with no partner arguing nearly everything thrown his way. Gavin had to admit, though, at least the android had some fight.

He pulled out his pack of cigarettes, grabbing one between his teeth and putting the ack away, replacing it for a lighter in his hands. He lit the smoke and took a drag. He hadn’t really had time to smoke today, and with the added stress of the android, this was a needed break.

However, of course it couldn’t last for long.

“I don’t appreciate you flipping me off, detective,” Richard’s voice suddenly came from beside Gavin, causing the man to jump. He nearly dropped his smoke. “I am merely concerned for your health, is all.”

“If you were really concerned for my health, you wouldn’t be giving me heart attacks by sneaking up on me like that. This is what? The third time today?” Gavin asked, letting out a little huff as he leaned against the wall.

“Actually. This was only the second time.”

Gavin grumbled, taking another drag. “Yeah, whatever. It’s been two times too many…”

Richard let out a soft hum. “I apologize, detective, I have not meant to startle you. I just assumed that, as a detective, you’d be a little more aware of your surroundings than most, but perhaps that was an incorrect ‘hunch’ of mine.”

Gavin shot Richard a glare. “Oh fuck off,” he said, looking away from the android once again. “Now why the fuck did you come out here? Just to mouth me off?”

Richard shook his head. “No, I wanted to let you know that this meeting we are meant to go to begins in about a half an hour. I figured you wanted to get there early?”

“Ah, another hunch of yours,” Gavin said, which earned another eye roll from Richard. Man, that was a little fun to do. “Yeah, we can go. Just please, for the love of God, let me finish my smoke.”

“All right, detective, as you wish.”

Gavin was glad the rest of his smoke was nothing but quiet, he could almost pretend that the android wasn’t there. Almost.

Once he finished, he threw the cigarette butt on the ground, being sure to put it out with a twist of his shoe on it. “Okay, let’s go,” he said, heading for the car.

Richard followed quietly, getting seated in the passenger seat. Gavin plopped down in the driver’s seat and drove off. “Fountain Way, right?”

Richard nodded. “Correct, that is the street name,” he said, looking over to Gavin. “Now may I ask why you didn’t just smoke while you drive?” he questioned. His head was tilted again. It always seemed to be that way whenever he was confused.

Gavin sighed. “I just don’t smoke in my car. That’s a rule of mine. I don’t smoke in my house either. Just cause I smoke doesn’t mean I want everything else I own to smell like it.”

Richard hummed, nodding again and turning to look out the front window. “I suppose that’s fair.”

“Well, I’m _so_ glad I got your approval.”

Richard huffed, rolling his eyes yet again. It must be his favourite function now or something. But after that, the car fell silent and Gavin found himself turning on the radio to fill the space.

Gavin only spoke again once he turned onto Fountain Way. “Okay, you didn’t give me an address. All you said was church looking building, which is only so helpful,” he said, his eyes darting to either side of the street as he searched for a building resembling a church.

“It’ll be on your right, about half a mile up the Way,” Richard stated, leaning back in his chair.

Gavin hummed and stopped searching. “All right, now see? That’s helpful.”

“Yes, well, telling you ‘it’ll be on the right a half a mile up the Way’ earlier wouldn’t have been very useful now, would it?”

Gavin looked over at Richard. “No, but a simple address would have been extremely helpful instead of waiting until we get on the fucking road to tell me where it is. Just… nevermind, we’re here now,” he said, pulling into the parking lot. This seemed to be the place and Richard hadn’t made a snarky comment about how this wasn’t the place he had said, so Gavin had good reason to believe they had made it.

Car stepped out of the car, looking up at the church. He didn’t even bother to prompt Richard, already heading inside. He figured Richard would follow him, he had all the other times.

His assumption was right, Richard was back on his ass again. “So what exactly is your plan once we go inside?” he asked. “We have a general description of this android, which they could have changed by now. How are you even sure they’ll be here now?”

Gavin shook his head waving Richard off again. “Chances are Cynthia was his first. He probably didn’t think to change his appearance and doesn’t really have any reason not to show up tonight. Plus, there aren’t many green eyed, weird limping androids out there,” he said.

Richard didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, not with the quiet hum that left him. But, he didn’t argue any more, which Gavin was thankful about.

They made it inside a larger space in the church, which Gavin knew to be the sanctuary. The place hadn’t been touched much in terms of renovations, but it at least was held in a decent condition.

Gavin’s eyes then landed on a group of androids sitting together and speaking hushly. There were only nine of them, three females and six males. Gavin began walking up to them, causing the group to cease speaking altogether and turn to face him.

“Evening, everyone. I’m really sorry for interrupting your meeting, but we’re with the DPD and my partner and I just have a few questions to ask some of you, if that’s all right?” Gavin introduced, gesturing to his badge that was attached to his belt.

The group was quiet for a moment longer, which gave Gavin some time to scan over the android’s faces. There was one that matched the description of dirty blond hair and green eyes. He had been avoiding eye contact, which didn’t help his case. Gavin kept his eyes trained on that android while one of the female ones spoke up. “What’s this about?” she asked softly.

Gavin turned to her, giving a small smile. “We just have some questions about a case we’re investigating,” he answered before looking back to the green-eyed android. He pointed to him. “Do you mind if I pull you aside, sir?” he asked, causing the android to look up at him.

There was a visible swallow, something Gavin knew that androids had no need to do. “Uh, all right…” he said quietly, standing up from his seat. As he began to walk towards Gavin, he noticed a slight limp in his step. He definitely fit the description.

“What’s your name?” Gavin asked, leading the android towards Richard.

“Andrew.”

Gavin nodded. “All right, Andrew, my partner, Richard, and I just want to ask a few things, don’t worry,” he assured gently. “We’re currently investigating the murder of Cynthia Sommers. Does that name sound familiar to you?” he asked.

Andrew quickly shook his head.

“Okay, well, she worked at this cafe called The Friendly Bean on 2nd Avenue, and there are reports saying that you’ve visited the place a few times, is that true?”

Andrew hesitated before nodding this time.

Gavin nodded too. “Right, and it’s been said that Cynthia tends to get flirty with customers and sometimes customers mistake that for actual interest, only to get rejec-”

“I didn’t mean to,” Andrew suddenly said, cutting Gavin off.

Gavin blinked, looking to Richard for a moment before back to Andrew. “What didn’t you mean to do?”

“I was just upset. The first human to be really nice to me didn’t even mean it. I thought she wanted something, because I wanted it to, but it was a lie and she lied to me.”

Gavin continued to nod. “I don’t think she meant to lie to you. It was just part of her personality.”

“No, she lied. The one day I get myself to talk more to her, she pushed me away. She lied. I was upset and watched her work. She was supposed to be with me but it was a lie. And then, after her shift, I saw her and I didn’t want her to lie to anyone else. I was just so upset and I wanted it to be true.” By this point, Andrew was mostly mumbling to himself, hugging himself as he did so.

Gavin looked over to Richard. “Handcuffs,” he said quietly before turning his attention back to Andrew. “Okay, Andrew, Richard and I are going to have to take you to the station. You’re going to talk to some people there,” he explained as Richard took Andrew’s hands and handcuffed them behind his back.

Gavin then began to make his way out of the building. However, first he turned to the group. “I’m sorry for the disruption, really. But police matters,” he said before heading out of the space.

Once outside, Gavin had Richard sit Andrew in the back. They then sat in their respective seats in the car. Gavin couldn’t help but have a slight smirk on his face. “I told you, my hunch was good,” he said, looking over to Richard.

Richard let out a soft huff. “That was not the doing of your hunch, that was just a coincidence.”

“Oh so all my hunch successes are coincidences?” Gavin asked, pulling away and heading back to the station. “I think that’s too many damn times my hunch has been right for them all to be coincidences. I think you don’t want to admit that I was right.”

Richard had a slight frown playing on his face. “You were not right, you just got lucky.”

Gavin rolled his eyes. “Oh please, can you not let me have this?”

“No.”

Gavin huffed. “Fuck you, I got it and I was right and you’re just a sore loser.”

“Whatever you say, detective.”

Gavin simply managed a scoff in response, focusing on the road once again. It had been years since he had a partner, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the outcome, but he could at least appreciate Richard in his own, weird way. It wasn’t the start of anything beautiful, but it was a start of something, which Gavin could work with.

Then Richard’s words rang through his head again. _I want to know you, detective_. And, sure, it may have sounded creepy, but at least now Gavin was a little more willing. To the point where he’d answer the plastic’s question. Of course, not without some witty comments sprinkled within the answer.

And now maybe the promotion wasn’t the biggest concern on Gavin’s list anymore. Maybe it was letting Richard ‘know him’, but only because he wanted to other to know. 

And maybe, just maybe, Gavin wanted to know a little more about Richard too.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow hi, this is the longest one shot I've ever written so I really hope things went well in terms of pacing and such. I really hope you enjoyed! Feel free to comment what you thought because I'd love to hear :^)


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